


Time and Place

by black_tea



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventure, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-22 03:38:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2493041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_tea/pseuds/black_tea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and the Doctor have only been traveling together again for a short while, and Jack isn't shy about showing his interest in the Time Lord. Of course he picks the worst possible moment to act on it, leaving the Doctor with a decision to make</p>
<p>Post 'Children of Earth'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time and Place

**Author's Note:**

> Still working my way through WIPs that have been sitting around on my computer -- I started this one a year ago. Ironically I joined AO3 to post this, but then got side tracked with Star Trek.

The Doctor fiddled with the console in order to distract himself. It had felt good to go somewhere, to do something… and with somebody else at that. Their little adventure the other day had done a lot to break through the sense of lassitude and malaise that had been dragging at him for months.

He had been drifting directionless, and he was rubbish when he was by himself. He knew that now, though he hated to admit it. It might be safer if he traveled alone, but it wasn’t good for him, and that left Jack – the fixed point in time, a thing that shouldn’t be. But here he was, more permanent than any other companion could be. His one time natural aversion to Jack had disappeared, and that was a good thing, right? So what was bothering him enough that his sleep was disturbed, and he was sitting on the hard floor pointlessly poking about? 

Perhaps it was that kiss Jack had foisted on him at a typically inappropriate time. It should be easy to shrug _that_ off – it was just Jack being Jack after all. That’s what he told himself last night. Except that in the light of day, or just day considering they were in the Time Vortex, he couldn’t, and that scared him more than a little. A pain in his knees awoke him to the fact that he had been sitting cross legged under the edge of the console completely zoned out for some time. He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed.

_Two days earlier..._

The Doctor carefully pushed open the door of the TARDIS just enough to peer out. Not that it did a lot of good as a large set of shelves crammed with boxes and supplies blocked their view of the dimly lit room.

Jack supposed that they had materialized in some sort of storage closet. Motioning for quiet, the Doctor exited the safety of the TARDIS with Jack in tow. The room wasn’t a large one and contained crates of medical kits, cleaning supplies and various spare parts. Definitely a storage area. Jack could feel a slight vibration under his feet and an almost, but not quite, imperceptible hum filled the air.

A single safety light cast it’s soft glow over the space – enough light to avoid colliding with boxes and the sharp corners of metal shelving units, but not enough to make out a lot of details. The Doctor made a beeline to a small panel set in the wall nearest the door and promptly began tinkering with it, the sound of his sonic screwdriver breaking the quiet. 

“Hmmm…human made, most likely forty-sixth century, systems are mostly functional though there seems to be a lot of interference…” he began half to Jack and half to himself.

“So what do you think it is? Hostile aliens? Huge slimy monsters?” Jack asked, his manner joking, but his posture one of readiness.

The Doctor turned to look at him. “No idea.” he replied as he adjusted the black-framed glasses and pocketed the screwdriver. 

Something, however, was up. That much was certain, and it probably wasn’t going to be very pleasant. A distress call brought them here, and there was no telling what they would find when they opened up that door. No sounds of mayhem came from the other side, but that could just mean there was no one in that area of the ship, or that they were too late. Jack hoped it was the former and not the latter as the Doctor pressed the button to the right of the panel. The door slid open soundlessly revealing… nothing but a corridor. The walls had been painted a pale green halfway up before transitioning into white. The passage was well lit about three quarters down its length before visibility faded into darkness. However, there were no sounds of battle, no angry gun wielding alien life forms, and no horrid drooling monsters, which Jack was personally ok with. He could do without dying yet again.

The Doctor looked left and right, an expression of concentration on his face. “Right, we go this way.” he said as he began heading down towards the dark end of the hallway.

“Any particular reason?” Jack asked, keeping his eyes and ears alert.

“Well, no light suggests that something happened down this way.” he replied as he picked up the pace. “Unless they’re just really bad at changing light bulbs, but somehow I doubt that.”

They slowed down as they rounded a bend, and signs of trouble began appearing. Blackened streaks stained the walls – damage from some type of weapon. Jack stepped over a sticky pool of dark congealing liquid that certainly suggested the worst, though there was no body in sight. “This does not look good.” he muttered.

“I hope we’re not too late.” the Doctor broke into a sprint, his long coat flapping behind him. Jack followed his slim form as they raced down another still quiet, still empty hallway. Several sliding metal doors lined the wall farther down, but they contained little of interest – just spare uniforms and some sort of laundry room. It wasn’t till they almost reached the narrow metal stairway at the end of the hall that they found something, a smear of blood along the floor leading to another doorway. 

“Whatever they have behind door number three seems to be more important judging by the lock.” Jack commented as he crouched down and pressed his palm to the floor. “The vibration is definitely stronger as well.”

Important or not, it still didn’t take more than a few minutes of fiddling before the Time Lord had managed to override the control panel. This room was big, and also the reason why so much of the hallway had been blank wall. The gloomy space was filled with thumping, whirring, and humming machinery. 

“So this must be the heart of the ship.” the Doctor commented, looking around. The green lights on some of the machines cast an eerie glow. “Interesting… I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like this before…like several different kinds of ships mashed up into one. Parts from a Gartangian trading vessel here,” he quickly sprinted over to the other side of the room. “Oh, and this is from Trillian war ship. Amazing how they integrated all of this--”

“Doctor,” Jack began, heading the Time Lord off before he could really get going.

“Hold on, what’s that?” the Doctor crouched down in a shadowy area next to a bank of computers. Jack quickly made his way over. 

“Well, now we know the source of the blood.” he said.

“He’s still alive.” said the Doctor as he scanned him with the sonic screwdriver. The injured man’s eyes flickered open at the sound.

“Who’re…you?” he rasped out, “You don’t look like no Correlians.” He tried to move, but the Doctor pressed his hand against his chest.

“Lie still, your wounds seem to be mostly superficial, but you don’t want to lose any more blood. I’m the Doctor, this is Jack, and we heard your ship’s distress call.” He explained as he pocketed the screwdriver. “What happened? Where is the rest of the crew?”

Jack cautiously examined more of the patchwork of equipment and parts that surrounded them. _The injured crewman isn’t wearing any kind of uniform; the engine room is made up of parts from half a dozen different ships…Correlians…where have I heard that before…_ He wondered, some vague idea niggling at the edges of his mind. _Correlians…_

“They wouldn’t be big, gray, hairless and short tempered would they?” Jack asked as he finally grasped hold of the mental image he had been searching for. “As I recall, they don’t have a lot patience when it comes to law breaking.”

“Aye.” The crewman sighed, “We’re a privateering vessel.”

“Pirates.” Jack corrected.

“Whatever. The Correlians have been skirmishing with their neighbors who’ve been paying us to loot their ships. Not a bad deal, pay plus whatever the Correlians are carrying.” he replied.

“Dangerous too.” the Doctor pointed out. 

“You got that…right.” The man winced. “They killed three crew members that I know of. Don’t know about the other five. They’re gonna try and take the ship back with them, but the Captain, he’s not going to let nobody steal his ship – you have to have the access code and physical key, and they’ve got neither. That’s why we’re just sitting here like this and not facing a firing squad.”

The Doctor turned and looked up at Jack, his face serious. “We might be able to get the rest of the crew out and on to the TARDIS. We should move him first, though. His injuries aren’t life threatening – some of the blood in the hallway must have been from the other crew that were killed.”

Jack nodded his assent and supported one side while the Doctor supported his other. “Jorlis, by the way.” he said, and then gasped in pain as they slowly moved forward. The trip back to the TARDIS was tense, but uneventful. Jack assumed the Correlians were too busy trying to figure out how to make the ship fly to come poking around in the storage areas. After they had stowed Jorlis safely in the TARDIS and bandaged his wounds, they crept quietly back out the way they had come.

“We need to find the rest of the crew.” the Doctor said softly. “Correlians have bad tempers and inventive ways of dealing out punishment. Whatever it was these people stole; they don’t deserve that kind of ‘justice.’

Jack was glad he had pocketed a gun. The Doctor might not like them, but Jack felt a whole lot safer with a plan B tucked under his coat. They tried to make as little noise as possible climbing the stairs and cautiously slipped through the door onto the next level. It was similar to the level below, but with more weapons damage to the walls and floor. Again, several lights were out. The unfortunate (or perhaps fortunate considering he was still alive) Jorlis had informed them that the control room was at the far end of this level. 

Jack motioned for the Doctor to stop as the faint sound of voices and activity floated over to them from up ahead. “We need to find a way to see how many there are and if the crew are with them.” Jack whispered as the Doctor began scanning the walls. He suddenly pointed upwards to a panel in the ceiling leading to the duct work.

Maneuvering through the cramped air ducts was not exactly fun and certainly not fast. There was always the chance that the Correlians would hear them coming if they weren’t careful and started banging too hard against the metal. Though they had a general sense of where they might be going thanks to Jorlis’ directions, it was largely trial and error that led them to finding the five prisoners. The Doctor had carefully peered through one of the grates meant to circulate air, and with a sigh of relief, began unscrewing the panel. The men below had the sense to keep quiet as their rescuers carefully dropped from the ceiling, Jack thankful that the ceilings in the ship were fairly low and that there were no guards actually in the room itself. 

“Keep quiet.” the Doctor advised as he used his sonic screwdriver to undo the shackles. The more complex technology the locking mechanism employed actually made them easier to remove. “We’re going to try and get you out of here. I have a ship, but we have to get back to the end of the lower level. How many Correlians are out there?”

Jack positioned himself with an ear to the door should someone decide to check on the prisoners.

“I don’t know for sure, around twenty took the ship, but some returned to their own vessel once they rounded us all up. There can’t be more than ten here now.” volunteered a female prisoner in a whisper. “The main controls are just a little further down the passageway. I think that’s where most of them probably are – trying to override the ignition systems. They seemed to have finished searching the ship a little while ago. At least, we haven’t heard them, and they’re not exactly quiet.”

“Are any of you seriously injured?” the Doctor inquired.

“Minor injuries only. The bastards shot the ones that required major medical attention.” She looked away, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“We’ve got company.” Jack interrupted. “I hear footsteps – I would say two people coming this way.” He pulled out his gun, and ignoring the look the Doctor gave him, moved back against the wall next to the door frame. The prisoners scrambled to their feet. Though battered looking, as the woman said, they were all ambulatory. Several picked up the shackles to use as weapons.

The sound of heavy footsteps approached the door and then suddenly stopped. The door slid open with a hiss. The Correlian soldiers where only of average size when compared to their human captives, but in this case size wasn’t everything. They managed to ooze menace from their feet up to their wrinkly hairless heads. However, the little crowd of people caught them off guard, giving Jack the chance to give the one closet to him a hard enough whack on the back of his grayish rubbery head with the butt of his gun to drop him to the ground. The prisoners swarmed the other, but not without making noise.

“So much for sneaking away quietly.” the Doctor said. “Ok, people down the main corridor, and then go to the store room at the end of the second level. There’s a funny blue box there – trust me, it’s big enough to fit you all. Now run!”

They took off running down the hallway as shouts and the sound of feet erupted from behind them. Around the corner came six more Correlian soldiers. Jack and the Doctor pulled up slightly at the point that a side corridor branched off from the main one. “We can try to draw them off here, at least give the prisoners a head start.”

“Ok, big and ugly. Come and get us!” he yelled, firing several shots, before he and the Doctor dove down the hallway. They could hear the sound of return fire, and the Doctor ducked just in time. For once, the ship’s damage came in handy as they hit an unlit section, making another turn right, Jack jerked open the door to a utility closet and pulled the Doctor in with him.

They wedged themselves into the tight dark space. The crack in the bottom of the door was a barely lighter line in comparison to the pitch darkness of the closet itself. Jack caught his breath – if they were lucky, their pursuers would waste time looking for them and the prisoners would make it to the TARDIS. They at least knew the ship better than their captors, and with the distraction he and the Doctor created, they had a decent chance. He heard the muffled sound of voices and footfalls coming from somewhere back the way they had come. It sounded like most of the Correlians that had been in pursuit had chosen to follow them rather than the escaping crew members. But then again, firing at them _was_ likely to get their attention fast. 

As his breathing returned to normal, Jack became very aware of his hip and shoulder pressing against the Doctor’s. Jack glanced at him from the corner of his eye. He could just barely make out the shape of his face in the darkness. Perhaps it was the potential for death – ok, so he couldn’t die permanently, but still… or perhaps their very close proximity, but Jack found himself firmly, but gently turning the Doctor’s face and kissing him on the mouth. Jack’s lips nuzzled against the other man’s as he stiffened in surprise. As the Doctor parted his lips to try and speak, Jack took advantage of the opportunity to taste the man he had been aching to kiss like this for so long. He turned the kiss into something deeper, more heated, and then pulled back as the sound of heavy shod feet in the hallway passed them.

The Doctor stared at him through the gloom. “ _Jack,_ time and place!” he hissed once their pursuers were gone.

Jack shrugged looking rather pleased with himself. “Seemed like the perfect time.” he whispered. “You never know when you’ll get another chance. I think they’re gone.”

The Doctor slowly and quietly slid the door open and peered down the hall. “I think it’s safe – we need to meet up with the crew before the Correlians find them. This ship isn’t _that_ big. They’ll end up running into each other eventually.”

They crept down the hall till they found another stairwell and carefully began making their descent. The door at the bottom of the stairs opened out into a narrow hallway that ran perpendicular to the main passage they were aiming for. Unfortunately, just as they rounded the corner the sound of heavy footsteps pounding down the metal stairs at the end assailed them.

With a muffled curse Jack and the Doctor broke into a run. The Correlians weren’t shooting yet, but then, they probably thought they had their quarry backed into a corner – there was nothing at the end of the hall but a storeroom, after all. Jack fervently hoped that the crew members had been smart enough to make it down here.

The Doctor threw open the door as Jack turned to push the soldiers back with a few well-placed shots. The surviving crew had in fact made it to the TARDIS, but not being used to funny blue boxes that were bigger on the inside, had no idea what to make of it or what to do. The Doctor quickly got the door open and herded them inside with Jack on their heels. They slammed the door shut and locked it just as the Correlians had decided enough was enough and were shooting to kill.

* * *

The Doctor stood at the door to the TARDIS watching as the rescued men and women walked off safe and relatively sound back on their home planet. One man paused and looked back, still bewildered by the TARDIS’ small outer size. 

“Yes, I know. It’s bigger on the inside.” the Doctor called out as he waved. He was suddenly aware of Jack’s hand on his shoulder, heavy and warm. He shifted uncomfortably as Jack’s presence and close proximity flooded his awareness.

“It was a good day.” Jack said. “Travel, excitement, and nobody died.” He squeezed the Doctor’s shoulder as he said the last.

“Yes, yes it was.” came the distracted reply. The Doctor closed the TARDIS doors and turned to find himself practically nose to nose with Jack. They stood that way for a moment as a look of panic flitted across the Doctor’s face. Then Jack took a few steps back, and he felt the tension drain from his shoulders. He needed time to think, or did he even want to think… about Jack. He ran a hand through his already rumpled hair and fished around for something to say before Jack decided to do something else inappropriate.

“It’s good to be traveling with you again.” Jack said, a smile playing around his mouth.

“Yeah, well, it’s better to not be alone.” he replied, rocking on the balls of his feet.

“Yes. I know.” True to form, Jack managed to load those three words with unmistakable meaning.

The Doctor groaned inwardly. “You know what I mean – having a mate along, a friend, a pal--” He desperately began attempting to bury Jack’s amorous intent under synonyms.

Jack studied him for a moment. “I know what you meant. But is that what you _need?_ Maybe it’s time you had someone closer than just a friend. Someone who can share the burden, someone you can’t lie to so well. Someone who isn’t going to grow old and die on you.”

“You know,” the Doctor began in exasperation, “that not being alone is not synonymous with needing to snog someone in closets in strange space craft while being chased by armed and very angry people.”

Jack, totally unrepentant, shrugged. “It’s as good a time as any. It’s not like they found us, and you weren’t exactly objecting. I’ve kissed a lot of people, and I would’ve known if you’d wanted me to stop.”

“Jack Harkness – you, you are impossible!” the Doctor exclaimed, gesturing as Jack took a step closer and buried his hand in his hair.

“Just think about it. You’re the clever one, and if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll see that I’m right.” He smiled as he let his hand drop, and then turned and walked away humming.

__

_The Present_

The Doctor had woken with uneasy dreams teasing and flitting around the edges of his memory. He couldn’t quite remember their content, but he could still feel the anxiety his dream self had experienced. He rolled over onto his other side and stared at the wall for awhile but stubbornly remained awake. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he gave up and decided to go make a cup of tea instead. It would be pointless to continue to just lie there staring at nothing. He padded down the corridor of the TARDIS to the room that housed a kitchen. It occasionally moved around to any one of three locations within the ship (why he had never been able to ascertain). However, tonight, the TARDIS had decided to be helpful and placed it nearer his bedroom.

He walked in to find the lights over the stove on and Jack seated at the table in the middle. “What are you doing up?” the Doctor asked, surprised to see that his friend clearly had the same idea.

Jack took a sip from a thick white mug and set it down with a click. “I don’t need much sleep anymore, and I didn’t really feel like laying around in bed. Not alone, anyway.” he added with a flicker of a smile. “There’s still some hot water left.”

The Doctor shuffled over to make a cup of tea for himself, rather glad to have the company. He didn’t feel like having misgivings at the moment or over analyzing his companion’s motives. He carefully carried his rather full mug over to the table and sat down across from Jack.

“I just can’t seem to sleep tonight.” he said. He eyed Jack over the coils of steam wafting up from the tea. Clad in jeans and a plain white t-shirt, the Doctor decided he looked good. He started to question where that thought had come from but then shooed it away impatiently. After going round and round about it in his head for the past week, the Doctor’s reasoning behind resisting Jack’s advances seemed a bit weak. What was he afraid of, really? He hadn’t had physical companionship of that nature in, well, quite a long time, and he had to admit to its appeal. Even the TARDIS had started liking the now immortal man that she had once run all the way to the end of time to get away from. Perhaps that was a sign. Was it smart to advice from one’s mode of transportation, even if the TARDIS was rather spectacular? 

“What, do I have something on my face? Or can you just not get enough of my good looks?” he asked, well aware that the Doctor had been studying him intently.

“Oh, sorry.” He blinked. “I was just thinking.”

“About…” Jack prompted.

He rubbed his face for a moment before resting his chin on his hand. “I know you can’t die, Jack. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be hurt – remember the time on the Valiant.”

Jack leaned back and regarded his friend, some of the lightheartedness gone from his face. “I think it’s a bit late for warnings now. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I’m well aware.” He paused in thought. “Oh, I see where this is going. It doesn’t matter whether we sleep together or alone – it’s not any riskier one way or the other. Unless you’re worried about getting your hearts broken.” The corner of Jack’s mouth twitched upwards in a slight smile.

A moment of silence, then. “No, I suppose you’re right.”

“What was that?” Jack leaned forward grinning. “Are you admitting defeat? Do I have a chance in hell with you?”

The Time Lord rolled his eyes. “No and maybe, but don’t get too excited now.” He warned without real threat. He knew he had just opened the lid to Pandora’s proverbial box, but couldn’t make himself care anymore.

“Ok, I won’t push my luck too far.” He smirked. “Can I at least have another kiss?”

The Doctor pretended to consider. “We-ell. It is a more appropriate time and place this time, and since you asked so nicely.” A small voice in the back of his head demanded to know just what he thought he was doing, but he was tired of fighting himself about it and being snappish at Jack as a result. So instead of running away as quickly as possible, he slowly got up from his chair and walked over to where Jack was seated.

His hearts sped up as Jack stood and firmly but gently tilted the Doctor’s face up towards his own with one hand. The other traced the edge of his ear, then traveling downwards, caressed the side of his neck. He had to admit, being touched like this was certainly pleasant. Then their lips met warm and soft. The Doctor let his hands rest at Jack’s waist, the heat of his skin warmed his fingers through the thin fabric.

Jack’s tongue teased the Doctor’s lips, asking for entrance, which the slim pajama clad man allowed. Jack deepened the kiss, exploring the Doctor’s mouth, as his hands ran down his back, and over his ribs and narrow hips. The Doctor thought, albeit somewhat fuzzily, that he could very much come to like this. Jack’s touch felt good, his warm hands rubbing the soft fabric of his night shirt over his skin, his hot wet mouth first on his own, then kissing and sucking at his neck and shoulder. The prickle of teeth on the soft spot where neck met shoulder made him gasp and flatten himself against Jack’s body.

“I thought you might enjoy that.” Jack whispered in his ear, his breath warm on the Doctor’s neck. “It’ll be fun to figure out what else you like.” His hand crept down to give the other man's bottom a squeeze.

“Mmmm.” the Doctor replied, stepping back slightly, and trailing a hand over Jack’s belly. His finger tips paused at the waistband of Jack’s jeans. Although he was rapidly coming around to his friend’s view of things, he also thought that perhaps it might be best not to give him everything he wanted right then. “At some point that might be arranged.” He smiled. “But I wouldn’t want you to get too full of yourself.” He kissed the side of Jack’s mouth before letting his hand drop and stepping away completely.

“Ouch.” Jack replied with a smirk. “Your loss. If you have anymore trouble sleeping, you know where to find me.” He added.


End file.
